<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>And they were neighbors by BabeManicone</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23765062">And they were neighbors</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabeManicone/pseuds/BabeManicone'>BabeManicone</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Beydan - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:07:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,484</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23765062</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabeManicone/pseuds/BabeManicone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>And they shared a bed</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>nun/ya</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Panko Ring</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, what do you think?”</p><p>Beyoncé waits hopefully with clasped hands and the best teacher’s pet smile she can muster; which is a pretty masterful one because she was a notorious teacher’s pet in school.</p><p>Jordan’s devouring of a buffalo wing slows to a stop and she struggles to hear him over the sound of men cheering for some sporting event. </p><p>“What do I think of what?”</p><p>She gestures to the regrettably loud and annoyingly child friendly atmosphere of the sports bar/grill she invited him to—Google lied.</p><p> “I don’t know, aren’t you having fun?”</p><p>“Anytime I get asked to come eat free food I have a good time.”</p><p>Beyoncé’s face falls, her friend is not making this easy but she is not a woman that will give up. “Ignoring the two consecutive birthday parties being thrown right beside us, you like this type of thing, right? And don’t you like doing them with me?”</p><p>He drops a cleaned bone to his plate, an unreadable expression on his face.“Are you asking me out?”</p><p>“No! That would be weird! Ew!” She lifts her glass of lemonade and before she takes a large sip she slips in, “I need us to get married.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>She expected him to at least think about it, she gulps hard. “Don’t say no yet! It wouldn’t be real and I would pay you.”</p><p>“Pay me? With what? I make more money than you do.”</p><p>“Jordan, the wage gap is no laughing matter,” she says as he snorts, “And hello? Three appetizers and two beers, I’m spoiling you already.”</p><p>“Good point, you’re terrible with money; it would’ve been cheaper to just buy me a meal.”</p><p>Beyoncé groans. “Jordan, you wouldn’t be doing this for me!”</p><p>“Where is this even coming from?”</p><p>“If you would’ve stayed on facebook you would know but okay. Remember when me and Gavin mutually decided to break up?”</p><p>Jordan’s brows knit together. “I remember him breaking up with you for—.”</p><p>“—Well? Let’s not recap the whole situation the point is, days after that my youngest sister announced in the family group chat that she is expecting her first child.” She pauses to allow the severity of the situation sink in.</p><p>His face remains the same. “And?”</p><p>“And that makes me the only unmarried and childless person in my family and I’m nowhere close to achieving those things. Obviously, this was cause for a great depression in me so I got very wine-drunk, looked up rings on eBay and put one on facebook with a crying emoji.”</p><p>“Why would you do that?”</p><p>“I don’t know! I can’t live in the past, the point is my family has seen it and you know how they are.”</p><p>Jordan smiles knowingly, “Excitable, a little gullible but well-meaning, lacks boundaries, kind of crazy.”</p><p>“Yes, they are. Somehow it skipped me. Long story short: They think I’m getting married and I gave them a phony-baloney date because I knew my sister would be due around that time so nobody would be able to make it because they wanna see the baby but tragedy has struck, Jordan.”</p><p>He rests his head on his hand. “Yes?”</p><p>“Last night they like, group-called me and talked me into coming up to see them so they can “help” plan the wedding.”</p><p>“That’s really nice of them.”</p><p>“It’s horrible, Jordan! I moved out of state for a reason and now they‘re trying to meet a fiancé that I do not have.”</p><p>“I see your dilemma.”</p><p>“You’re the only man I trust.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“You also know how to get to my parents place.”</p><p>Jordan nods. “Let me think about it.”</p><p>Beyoncé understands that she is asking a lot; Jordan left their old neighborhood the fall he turned 18 and aside from quick visits to his parents house once every couple of months he doesn’t look back. </p><p>“I’d get it if you said no, I know it’s two weeks off work being around people you don’t want to be around.”</p><p>He shakes his head. “No, I’ll do it.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Yeah, fuck it. I work from home most of the time anyways.”</p><p>“Oh, thank God!”</p><p>“I have a condition.”</p><p>Her eyes narrow. “What is it?”</p><p>Jordan picks up an onion ring from his plate and places it on hers pointedly. “I’d like to be proposed to.”</p><p>“You are not serious.”</p><p>“I am dead serious Beyoncé, put a ring on it. On one knee, preferably.”</p><p>“Jordan, you know I would rather lick this carpet than do that.”</p><p>He blinks unmoved and she whines picking up the panko crusted onion, dropping painfully to one knee, humiliating herself in front of both birthday parties. </p><p>“Oh, wow.” Jordan says, loud and obvious.</p><p>“Shut up.”</p><p>“I can’t believe this,” He fans his dry eyes, “You’re messing with me, get up.”</p><p>Beyoncé’s voice is low and menacing. “I will kill you. Give me your hand.”</p><p>Jordan frowns. “Ask.”</p><p>“...Jordan Bennet,”she chokes out and a real tear springs to her eye. “Will you marry me, please?”</p><p>“Yeah, why not?”</p><p>She dangles the onion ring off of his finger and slides back into the booth rigidly, ignoring the cheers from nearby tables and partygoers.</p><p>“Happy?”</p><p>He’s already eaten through the ring. “Very.”</p><p>Before she can respond a handful of waiters bring out a small chocolate cake with a sparkling candle.</p><p> “Congratulations!”</p><p>Jordan’s face lights up and he thanks them<br/>
kindly until they leave. “We’re already getting free desserts out of this.”</p><p>“We? I did all the work.”</p><p>She smacks his hand away from the fork, he smacks hers harder and they go back and forth until he outfoxes her by going for the spoon. </p><p>“Try it.” He pushes it against her clamped lips and she turns her head smearing chocolate across her cheek. Jordan has known from childhood and years of best friendship that she is a huge crybaby so it’s out of habit that he gets up and sits on her side of the booth, shushing her and wiping her face.</p><p>“I’m fine.”</p><p>“No you’re not.” He wraps his arms around her shoulders and shushes her the way you would a baby.</p><p>“You are so annoying!”</p><p>He ducks down his head and eats the remainder of the icing from her cheek. “Look, it’s all gone.”</p><p>“Is it?” She pulls her phone from her purse and checks in her front camera.</p><p>“We should take a picture,” He suggests, still cradling her against his chest and when she questions why he takes the phone from her hands and snaps a quick one. “For your instagram.”</p><p>“What about yours?”</p><p>“If you haven’t noticed, mine’s all food and alcohol.”</p><p>“So?”</p><p>“So, I have an image to protect.” He unlocks her phone and opens the instagram app.</p><p>“Wait, I looked ugly.”</p><p>“You wanna take another one?”</p><p> “Let’s do pouty faces.”</p><p>He waits until she moves the camera to her preferred angle and before he snaps it, brings his lips to the side of her chin. </p><p>“You like that one?”</p><p>“Hold on, you’re pretty good at this.” She rolls her eyes, a man who dates as much as he does would be an expert.</p><p>“What’s the caption gonna be? Me and bae?”</p><p>“I do not say bae.”</p><p>He talks out loud as he types, “Me and my boo.”</p><p>“Ew! What am I, 40? Just do heart eyes, kissy face, and the lock and key.”</p><p>“That’s too much. Red heart, kissy face, smiley emoji with hearts. Send post.” He sits her phone down definitively. </p><p>“I cannot tell if I’m making a mistake or not.”</p><p> </p><p>“We’ll see.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>: D</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jordan waits patiently as Beyoncé makes her way out of the small office building, a styrofoam contained sub sandwich rests in his lap and a pair of round framed sunglasses rest on top of his head. If everything was going to plan, Beyoncé was informing her boss—a man that runs a women’s magazine, that she would be taking the next two weeks off. It’s a strong if, his friend is very unfortunate.</p><p>Beyoncé has a box of her own, there isn’t much inside, just a few stacks of post-its, her laptop, her fake plants, various pens and highlighters. She didn’t keep much at her desk but took a few things just out of principle.</p><p>Jordan knows it’s better to let Beyoncé tell him what he already knows in her own way. </p><p>“Why that face?” He unlocks the door and she throws the box into his backseat before climbing in beside him. </p><p>“What face?” </p><p>He furrows his brows and tucks his tongue between his bottom row of teeth and his lip. “This face.”</p><p>She fumbles with the seatbelt for an unnecessarily long time, giving herself the pep talk she needs to turn this situation into a positive. “So, update to the situation, umm, I got fired.”</p><p>“Because you asked for time off?”</p><p>“Because my boss is a dick.”</p><p>“Can I say something?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“It’s not ‘I told you so’ it’s positive.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I think you could find a better job than a dying magazine whose main draw is ‘Top 12 Sex Positions to Blow His Mind’.”</p><p>Beyoncé almost smiles. “That’s just a super nice way of saying ‘I told you so’ but thanks.”</p><p>“I’m simply repeating what I have been rightly saying.”</p><p>“Jordan, please.”</p><p>His eyes flicker between the stretch of road ahead and her face. “I hope you’re not actually sad right now. You didn’t even like that job.”</p><p>“We cannot all work at a food magazine and just ride around eating and drinking for a living. Some of us are culinarily challenged.”</p><p>“You made that one thing that wasn’t terrible.” He offers, rolling down the windows and in short, sporadic glances, becoming fascinated by the way the wind whips through her hair.</p><p>“Not terrible does not make a good chef.”</p><p>“I’m just saying, as your fiancé, I think you’ve been limited to quiz writing for a long time and now would be a good time to branch out.”</p><p>“I’m not completely jobless, Jordan. I do other things.”</p><p>“You never tell me about other things.”</p><p>“Because you’re judgy.”</p><p>Jordan gasps. “I’m so accepting these days you don’t even know.”</p><p>“Please.” Beyoncé scoffs.</p><p>He backs them into a parking space outside of a jewelry store and hops out to open the passenger side door. “If we’re gonna be at your family’s house for the next two weeks, they’re gonna notice if we don’t know shit about each other.”</p><p>“We know plenty about each other, an abnormal amount even.”</p><p>Their voices lower as they look down into the display case of rings.</p><p>“What’s my favorite color?”</p><p>Beyoncé rolls her eyes. That was easy. “You love blue.”</p><p>“Fair guess.”</p><p>She pulls out her phone and scrolls through her facebook finding the photo of the ring to show to the sales associate.</p><p>“Do you have anything like this?”</p><p>He pulls four rings that seem like matches. She holds her phone next to them to compare.</p><p>Jordan watches from over her head, inspecting the rings himself. “What’s yours?”</p><p>“My favorite color? I don’t know.”</p><p>“Think about it.”</p><p>She eyes him. “Why?”</p><p>“I’m your fiancé, I should know these things.”</p><p>“Yellow.” She picks up the closest match and places it on her finger, feeling very princess-like until she sees the price. “Woah, okay. You can put this back.”</p><p>“It can’t be that bad,” Jordan insists.</p><p>He leans over her shoulder to see the small tab and sucks air through his teeth. “Yeah, that's steep.”</p><p>The sales associate frowns. “You’re paying for quality and your fiancé’s smile.”</p><p>Beyoncé is far from smiling. “Do you have anything cheaper?”</p><p>“I’m afraid that's on the low end, miss.”</p><p>She and Jordan share a good look and consider it best to solve this in a more relaxed setting like over ice cream at their next stop.</p><p>“Top 3 ice cream flavors, go.” Yeah, there’s very serious business being handled.</p><p>“Cookies &amp; cream, chocolate chip, strawberry cheesecake. Your turn.” Beyoncé bites at the edges of her wafer cone as it turns soft.</p><p>“Coffee, vanilla bean and uh,” Jordan trails off for a while. “I’ll get back to you. It’s too many options.”</p><p>They make it back to Beyoncé’s apartment and the plan then is to get her packed and say she lost the ring. A believable lie because as evidenced by her home, she’s a bit clutter-prone. She rummages through her bedroom and closet for her suitcase and Jordan thinks its a shake that she travels so rarely that it’s lost.</p><p>“You could just borrow one of mine.”</p><p>Her head sticks out from her closet, her eyes narrowed. “I have a suitcase Jordan, thank you very much; it's cheetah print, it’s big and it will not find itself.”</p><p>Jordan chuckles checking under her bed. “In other words: shut up, stop helping and help.”</p><p>“You got it.”</p><p>It’s another half hour until it’s found, tucked near her couch and after she makes a bigger, more stressful mess going through her clothes they take a break lying out on the mountain once known as her bed.</p><p>“What do you think your mom will say? Does she even remember me?”</p><p>Beyoncé contemplates for a minute. “I think so. I think she’ll be happy, you’re good looking, you have a job, you charm old ladies all the time. She might be annoyed you didn’t meet her before you “proposed” though.”</p><p>Jordan shrugs. “I’ve talked my way out of worse.”</p><p>Beyoncé turns her head to look at him. “She may think you’re slutty.”</p><p>“So? That’s in the past. I’m a new man, I’m your man.” His eyes meet hers and it’s suddenly tense before he smiles and turns his attention back to the ceiling. </p><p>“You’re scarily good at that.”</p><p>“I almost had you.”</p><p>“Almost.” She says it and swallows down the tight feeling formed in her chest. “What about your parents?”</p><p>“They’re gonna think you’re the second coming for settling me down.”</p><p>“If only the women before me knew it was this easy.”</p><p>“I will work for food.”</p><p>She sits up. “Can I ask you for one more thing?”</p><p>“Shoot.”</p><p>“I don’t care who you...screw around with and I don’t expect you not to but I am asking if you could possibly, maybe, hold off for a while?” </p><p>“Bey.”</p><p>“I know I’m asking a lot and you’re not getting anything in return especially now since financially I am a little up in the air but I thought I’d ask.”</p><p>He nudges her arm. “You’re my best friend. I don’t like seeing you embarrassed and I get to make my folks happy along the way. It’s nothing.”</p><p>She rolls over and throws herself over him in a hug that’s over as quick as it started. “Thank you.”</p><p>“Who do you think I am that I can’t go two weeks without sex?”</p><p>“From what you tell me…”</p><p>“Obviously, I’d line something up for day 14 when we get back.”</p><p>“You see how you ruin things?”</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>